The 60-second ad tells the story of a baobab tree growing through changing seasons to become a shelter and home to a range of living creatures.
According to AVBOB,
Family Tree is a visual metaphor for the financial services company that has matured and developed over a century, overcoming many challenges to provide for South Africa’s large and diverse population.
Conceptualised and commissioned by integrated marketing communications agency the et al GROUP, the ad was produced by Luma Animation over a period of six months.
Paul Meyer, co-owner and executive creative director of Luma, says, "It is technically and artistically the finest work we’ve produced to date."
The ad depicts a seed being planted and growing over time into a mature baobab. The tree is shown offering shelter to a sunbird. Other wild creatures – a squirrel, a chameleon and a tortoise – also make their homes in and under the baobab.
"The script was not prescriptive in terms of the visual content, and it really allowed for the theatre of the mind," says Meyer. "It allowed my imagination to take flight, and that’s what et al asked us to bring to the project: they wanted something fundamentally different from the norm. [Something] new and unique – a bold vision realised through an epic visual narrative, using a medium suited to the content."
A rig was built to move the model of the bird, allowing the animators to position it and create its performance.
Meyer concludes, "I am inspired daily by the formidable capability and talent of our team. Seeing our ad in glorious IMAX 3D, and sharing the screen with Disney, Pixar and Marvel films, is an experience we will cherish."
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